The Opposite of Snatching
by FezzesRCool
Summary: Ali, Amelia and Lucy leave Hogwarts after they realise that there is nothing left for them there. And then they discover the Snatchers. Set during book 7. Rated T for bad language. Will have romance later.
1. Chapter 1

The platform was sullen. Ali stood on there with her trunk and Roxy backpack on her shoulder. Everyone was looking at the ground and moving quickly. The air was stagnant with pain. Ali looked desperately around for her friends, but none of them were there, a group of Slytherin's were walking down the platform towards her.

"Oh, look a Mudblood." Ali flinched as the Slytherin's stood in front of her.

"Yeah, you're not really that smart are you? I'm a half-blood." She sneered looking them all in the eyes. One of them made a move to hit her and she pulled out her wand.

"You dare." She hissed pointing at all of them.

"I think you should get on the train Mr Hughes." A sneering voice drawled at the boys.

"Yes headmaster." The boys scuttled off to the train and sneered back at Ali.

"I think that you should keep your wand in your pocket Miss Robinson." Ali looked up at Professor Snape.

"It was in self protection sir." She muttered as she stared at the ground.

"Excuse me?" He spat at Ali who shrank back.

"Sorry sir." She continued to stare at the ground.

"If I hear one more peek out of you Robinson it will be the end of you. Get on the train." Ali walked shakily onto the train.

"Are you alright." Someone caught her arm and Ali was spun around to face a pale, ginger haired girl. Ginny Weasley.

"Yeah thanks. Listen, I'm really sorry about your brother going missing." Ginny smiled.

"Thanks for your concern, but he'll be okay." She smiled and walked away.

Ali walked down the aisle of the train until she came to a compartment in which sat Amelia Williams and Lucy Green, her two best friends.

"Oh my god." Lucy jumped up and hugged Ali.

"I saw what happened on the platform. Slytherin bastards." Amelia laughed and patted the seat next to her.

"Sit down." Ali sighed and threw her backpack onto the floor.

"Ugh, final year." She mumbled scratching her head. Lucy grinned and lifted up a water bottle of pumpkin juice.

"I'll drink to that!" Like Ali, her two closest friends were both Half-Bloods, which was quite lucky really as Muggle-borns, or Mudbloods as they were now so affectionately referred to by the Ministry were either banned or persecuted. Ali's mother was a witch, but she was also a Muggle. She had met Ali's father at Hogwarts. She was on the run now, Ali's dad was with her too.

"_Don't do anything to rash Alison. It'll be okay." _Ali knew that it wasn't going to be okay; you- know- who was back. After a while, the journey got quieter. The three girls settled down into doing different things. Amelia began to read a book, Lucy sat drumming her fingernails on the window and Ali looked out of the window. Outside, the scenery was dark and monotonous.

"I don't like this." She mumbled. The door of the compartment opened.

"Any Mudbloods?" The Alecto Carrow was looking through the door.

"No, we're all half bloods." Ali looked away from the death eater and back to her friends. Amelia had gone very pale.

"Excuse me?" Alecto Carrow growled at Ali.

"I said all of us are half bloods." Alecto pulled out her wand.

"Where is the respect in that sentence?" Alecto asked pointing her wand towards Ali.

"Um, we are all half bloods Miss Carrow." Ali said with a look of concentration on her face.

"Is that how you would address your teachers?" She asked.

"You're one of our teachers?" Ali asked and then bit her tongue.

"Sorry, I mean: We are all half bloods Professor." Alecto stood at the door but glared threateningly at Ali.

"You should watch your tongue girl." Alecto left, leaving a dark smell in the compartment.

"She's really scary." Lucy whispered. Amelia nodded. Ali looked out of the window and shuddered.

"She's a freak." Ali whispered and Amelia gasped.

"What if she heard that?" Ali shrugged.

"Don't really care. The world's fucked anyway." Lucy nodded and looked away.

"Anyway, let's talk about something else."

The journey had been very tense. The Slytherin's were on top form. Most of the bad one's screaming disgusting comments about maiming and torturing muggles. The others, not all of them pure bloods were sat in the corner ignoring it. It was very hard to remember, but not all Slytherin's were evil, the same as not all Gryffindor's were brave. Half way there the girls got changed into their robes. All of them were in Ravenclaw.

On the platform the tall, gigantic man that was the Games keeper and the Care of Magical Creatures teacher was calling for the first years. He voice was disheartened and he sounded upset. Ali bit her lip as her friends walked up the carriages. They all sat in the dark carriage silently. All around them there was manic laughter all around them. Ali was shivering and looking down.

"This is fucking mental." Lucy whispered. And she was right. Suddenly Ali hated her parents for leaving.

"_But we have to go baby. It's not safe for Mum and me anymore."_

As they reached the Great Hall everything was strange. All of the old teachers were gone. They were all replaced with death eaters. Even Hagrid's seat. Ali and her friends took their seats at the Ravenclaw table. Everyone was talking and when Snape stood up to the Headmaster's Plinth everyone apart from the Slytherin table ignored him and carried on talking. Lucy grinned.

"Ha." She mumbled.

Everyone continued to ignore him until Alecto Carrow stood up and pointed her wand at a stone figure head in the corner of the room.

"STUPEFY!" She screamed and the spell hit the statue so hard it disintegrated.

"Thank you Proffesor." Snape smiled coldly at Alecto and then looked back to the school.

"Students. Welcome back to school. This year, instead of sorting the students into the houses, we have put them randomly into new houses. Before we eat, I'd just like to say a few words."

"As you all know, I am the new Headmaster, we have changed a few of the members of staff, which you will meet in your lessons. But, I want to talk about a more pressing issue. We have got rid of all of the Mudbloods in the school. If one of your parents or friends is a mudblood, you need to tell me or one of your teachers. We cannot let this kind of filth infiltrate the school. We must make sure that all of them are gone. Work hard this year. It will be in your best interests." He waved his hand and the food appeared on the tables.

After a very sullen meal Ali and her friends walked upstairs in silence. It was silent in the halls, everyone was quiet and shocked that Snape was such a traitor. Back in the common room Ali left Amelia and Lucy in the tower and raced up to the dormitories. She had to get out of here as fast as she could.

"What are you doing?" Amelia was stood at the door watching.

"Getting out of here." Ali gave her a small smile but carried on packing her stuff away.

"You can't leave, where would you go?" Amelia looked at her with wide eyes.

"God knows, anywhere." Ali looked back down and continued to pack. She picked up her trunk and walked towards the door.

"I'm going to let you go." Amelia stood in front of the door.

"Amy, let me go." Ali tried to push past.

"No! I'm not going to let you." Ali pushed Amelia out of the way.

"What the fuck's wrong with you? I'm not staying here. They are all crazy. All of them. We are all slowly going to be tortured into telling them where our parents are. I'm not staying." Amelia looked away and her eyes were glistening with tears.

"It's not just hard for you! Lucy and I don't know where our parents are either! It's not just you who's hurting!" Amelia was almost screaming at Ali know.

"We all have to stick together! Or we'll never get through!" Amelia was crying and screaming all at the same time.

"Please don't leave." Amelia's voice was almost a whisper. Ali sighed and put her trunk down.

"One day." Ali muttered and walked past Amelia.

"Ali?" Ali turned around and looked back at Amelia.

"Thanks."

At breakfast the next morning, Ali was even more convinced that she should leave. The hall was quiet, and then when she got her timetable, she found that she had Muggle Studies with Alecto Carrow.

"This is bullshit. I'm leaving." Amelia grabbed her arm.

"Please." Ali sighed and sat down again. Lucy watched on and smirked at Ali's obedience.

"Oh shit!" Lucy hissed as she looked at her timetable.

"Muggle studies with Carrow." Ali grabbed Lucy's timetable from her hand and looked at it.

"Same time as me." Lucy smiled and high-fived Ali across the table. As they ate their breakfast the girls looked around. It was sullen apart from the Slytherin table, who now had special treatment.

"Bastards." Lucy muttered.

"Potty mouth." Ali said grinning at Lucy. It was going to be fine, they'd do this year at school and then everything would be alright.

"Right, no one needs any textbooks; I just need you to get out some parchment and a quill. Alecto Carrow seemed to be in a brilliant mood, which was bad news for the Ravenclaw's.

"Today's lesson is titled 'Mudbloods- An introduction." She sat down in her chair and pointed her wand at the blackboard. The title came up in white, chalk letters.

"Some of you in this room will be half bloods. Although we have no quarrel with you, your mud blood mothers of father are people you should be ashamed of. Especially the magical one. They shouldn't have bred with such an animal. Mud bloods, are below the half bloods. We should never even contemplate mating with them." Ali's blood was boiling. This was crazy. She had to say something.

"Excuse me, Professor. Are we actually going to learn anything?" A gasp swept through the room. Alecto Carrow played it very cool.

"I think, Miss Robinson, that you should take notes on what I'm saying. If I remember correctly, your Mother was, but the illegitimate daughter of a lazy, boring, useless Mud blood. Your Father must either be dumb and or blind to have decided to marry something like that." Ali stood up and smacked her hand on the table.

"My family are good people! You don't know anything about them. Nothing!" Alecto Carrow raised her eyebrows.

"If you don't want any embarrassing secrets coming out, I suggest you keep your mouth shut and listen when I'm talking girl." Lucy pulled Ali back down onto her seat.

"I'm not putting up with this shit, I'm leaving tonight." She whispered. Lucy nodded.

"I'm coming too. This is crazy." Ali grinned. Now she only had to get Amelia on her side.

"You didn't hear what she said Amy. It was bad." Lucy sat at one of the tables in the Ravenclaw common room.

"She just slagged off Muggles, and then when Ali challenged her, she spouted a pile of shit about Ali's family." Amelia looked at Ali who nodded.

"We have to go this is mental, the rest of the day has been bad too. All of the teachers are referring to Muggles as Mud bloods. I'm not going to stay. Since Dumbledore died, this place has gone down, massively." Lucy said.

"Come on Amy, we're not going to go without you." Ali said.

"Then don't leave." Amelia said looking at her feet.

"We have to. Don't you get it?" Lucy sighed and stood up.

"We're packing now, then we'll leave later, whatever you decide, we're going." Lucy pulled Ali away from Amelia who sat in the chair looking very pale.

"She's not coming is she?" Ali asked as the two girls began to pack in the dormitory.

"Dunno." A few more minutes went by as the girls packed the rest of their belongings. The door opened and they turned around. Amelia was stood at the door.

"You're right, this is a fucking mad house."


	2. Chapter 2

They waited until it was dark. As Ali lay in bed, fully kitted out in Muggle clothes, she waited for midnight as her heart beat quickly. Although she was scared, she was excited. Just getting out of this school would be good, just leaving and knowing that she would be okay was the most important thing. She lay there breathing quietly and listening. Over in the corner Olivia Hutton mumbled something in her sleep about Myron Wagtail, lead singer of the Weird Sisters. Ali sighed and lay listening. Suddenly, twelve loud dongs rang through the castle. Her eyes flicked over to Lucy, who was also wide awake. Amelia had sat up very slowly.

"Let's go." Lucy mouthed and the three girls stood up.

"Wingardium Leviosa." Ali whispered and the three trunks hovered in the air. She opened the door and guided the three trunks towards it. Amelia grabbed her and Ali's backpack and Lucy shouldered her backpack. The three cases were become hard to control and soon they were going to drop. Ali grabbed her backpack from Amelia and muttered an undetectable extension charm. She floated the three trunks to the backpack and once they were snugly inside she shouldered it.

"Right, now out the window." She smiled brightly at her two nervous looking companions. Being a quite athletic girl, Ali could climb out of the window, onto the window ledge and then, holding her wand carefully, she began to climb down the drainpipe. It was slippery and cold, and Ali was petrified for her safety.

"Wingardium Leviosa." Lucy mumbled from above and pointed her wand at Ali. Ali felt herself being carried down slowly. Her feet touched the ground and she bent her knees so she landed softly.

"Come on!" She whispered loudly, and then flattened herself against the wall. A window, right next to her, was dark but she could hear noise coming from it.

"They're playing right into our hands Severus. Soon we'll be able to get rid of Flitwick and McGonagall." A hissing, whispering voice rasped through the room

"Alecto, we will never be able to get rid of Minerva. She'd stay even if the Dark Lord himself was headmaster." Snape's flat voice spoke back to Alecto Carrow. Ali shivered. This was very bad. She looked back up and saw Amelia floating down. Ali grabbed her arm and pulled her down quickly.

"Shush." She put her finger to her lips and Amelia fell silent.

"Wingardium Leviosa." Ali whispered and pointed her wand up at Lucy, whom had just climbed out of the window and was now floating down the wall. She landed next to Amelia, who shushed her and Ali pulled Amelia by the arm towards the grounds. The three girls began to run down the hill as quietly as possible.

"Any minute now, they're going to see us." Lucy panted as they ran down the hill.

"Well then we better keep running." Amelia answered and the three girls kept running until they got out of long stretches of green grass. They approached the game keepers hut, and ran past it into the forest. After they were a little way in they stopped.

"We need to get out of Hogwart's." Ali said as she tried to get her breath back.

"You say that, but where do we go?" Amelia asked.

"None of you thought this through. You just thought, let's all get out of school; let's go on a gap year! You didn't bloody think." Amelia sat down deflated.

"What would our family say?" She asked sadly.

"God knows." Lucy stood up. "I say we go to London. They'll lose us, and we don't have the trace anymore. My birthday was in March, Amelia's was in January and yours was in July. Let's get to Hogsmeade, and then we can move." Lucy smiled and looked over to Ali.

"Good plan." Ali pulled Amelia's shoulder.

"Come on, we know where we're going now." Amelia helped herself be lifted to her feet and was pulled along.

"Trafalgar Square." Ali said and the girls started to run again. It was going to be okay now. As they got closer to the border between Hogwart's and near Hogsmeade the girls began to gather hope. But it was a ridiculous idea. There, just beyond the line of trees were dementors.

"We're never going to get out." Amelia sighed.

"Expecto Patronum." Ali's patronus, a bear came out of her wand, and the dementors moved away from the girls. Just as Ali was giving a sigh of relief, a shout echoed around the forest.

"What was that? Avery, get over here a minute." Ali pushed her friends behind a large tree and looked round it to see what was coming.

"Fuck." She muttered. Dolohov was walking towards her. What could she do? Just wait here for them to catch her and her friends. There were bound to be others. She put her finger to her lips and pointed her wand at Dolohov.

"Stupefy." She murmured. It was barely audible, but it did the trick. Dolohov fell to the ground and Ali walked quietly towards the line of trees again. Another death eater was walking towards the place Dolohov was. She waited until her was right next to her, and she stunned him. She gently lay him down on the ground and then kicked him for good measure.

"Bastard." She hissed at him and then beckoned her friends. The two other girls ran quietly towards Ali.

"We need to move as fast we possibly can" Amelia nodded and Lucy smiled grimly.

"We all need to run, or we won't get out." Ali took Amelia's hand, and Lucy took Amelia's hand.

"On three. One. Two. Three. GO!" The girls ran, and all around them flashes of green light around them. Suddenly, they were through they were outside the barrier. Ali thought of Trafalger Square, and suddenly the three girls were stood in the middle of a large square.

"It's okay, we're here, we need to keep walking." Ali started walking briskly down the street.

"We need somewhere to stay." Amelia said.

"Yeah and some food." Lucy agreed.

"Okay, we need to get to a hidden place; I know somewhere else we can go. London's way to crowded." The girls turned down side road, where there was nothing but a couple of cats and a bin.

"Hold my hand." The girls joined hands and apparated again.

"Where are we exactly?" Lucy asked.

"West Sussex." Ali said. "My Gran used to live here." She led them to a long drive.

"What is this place?" Amelia asked looking down the dark drive.

"Just a little place. I broke in here once with a group of kids when I was little. All the locals are scared of it and they all stay away." Lucy looked at Ali with a grim expression.

"Any particular reason?" Amelia asked nervously.

"Well, I think some wizards lived in there at some point. There was just a load of old magical stuff, if I remember correctly." Lucy grinned.

"Let's hope it's not all bad." The three girls began to walk up the long drive.

"I don't like this, it's really creepy." Amelia grabbed Ali's hand and Lucy took Ali's other hand.

Hand in hand they walked down the drive not knowing what was going to happen. They were at the end and the beginning of the journey, yet what was in store for them, no one knew.

"It's okay, there's no one here." Ali walked confidently around the large house. It was dark, and some of the windows were smashed. Amelia and Lucy cautiously stood near the door, wands raised.

"It's okay, there's only a couple of Bogart's, nothing too bad." Ali wasn't too confident about this, but decided that seeing as she was the one who had brought them here that she should do an inspection. She walked around the house; there was just a lot of old spell books. It was all the way that she remembered it. She got into the kitchen; it was the way she remembered it apart from the paper on the table. It was a copy of the Daily Prophet, which wasn't really out of the ordinary, apart from the fact that it was from a couple of days ago. Ali picked it up and read the front page.

_UNDERSIARABLE LIST POSTED BY MINISTRY by Andy Smudgely_

_The Ministry of Magic's undesirable list of this year was published early this morning. The Minister of Magic, Pius Thicknese said that this list was "One of the largest that we have ever had, it just shows that many, many people are resorting to criminal ideals in this time of change."_

_On the list are many famous names including Harry Potter and two of his friends Hermione Granger, a mudblood, and Ronald Weasley, son of well known crackpot Arthur Weasley. Of course, you are urged by Ministry of Magic to read this report (printed at the back of the paper) and watch out for any undesirables that are on this list._

Ali shivered and looked up as there was a banging noise from the kitchen door. She raised her wand and walked over to the door she pushed it open gently. Outside was an owl, with a copy of the Morning Prophet in its beak. Ali walked up to the owl cautiously and looked around the drive it was completely empty. However had lived here must have had a subscription. Ali picked up the paper and went back inside.

"Lucy, Amelia?" She shouted through the house. There was no answer.

"Crap, Lucy? Amelia?" There was still silence. Ali started to run around the large house. She checked every room and then she found them. The two girls were curled up on a large sofa in what was supposed to be a sitting room; both of them were fast asleep. Ali smiled and walked over to one of the windows, there were shutters on all of the windows around the room. She shut all of the shutters of the window of the front room and then walked around the house closing all of the shutters, when she was stood in the large hall she raised her wand.

"Lumos maxima." She muttered and a large ball pulsed around the house. It was about five in the morning, but it was still dark and it was starting to get cold. Ali found her backpack and pulled out the three trunks and got blankets from all of them. She went back into the sitting room and put the blankets over her two sleeping friends. She went over to fire place where there were a few blackened logs which had already been burned slightly.

"Lacarnum Inflamarae." She pointed her wand at the fireplace and the logs caught fire she sat down by the sofa she picked up the Daily Prophet and looked at the front page, which merely supported the heading:

_HOLYHEAD HARPIES VICTORY OVER CHUDLEY CANNONS _

Ali sighed. Lucy wasn't going to be happy. She loved the Chudley Cannons. As she turned the page, as small article caught her eye at the bottom of the front page.

_HOGWARTS PLEA: THESE GIRLS NEED TO BE BACK AT SCHOOL_

_It was announced this morning by newly instated Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Professor Severus Snape that three girls from the school have gone missing. The three girls, all in their last year of education, all in Ravenclaw house were discovered to be lost early this morning. Alison Robinson, Amelia Williams and Lucy Green are all missing from school. Severus Snape, published a statement this morning stating that "These girls are valuable members of our society and everyone at the school is at a loss without them." If any of the girls are seen, it is imperative that you contact the Ministry of Magic or Hogwarts School._

Ali took a deep breath and stood up. They'd be looking for them now and the last place that any of the girls wanted to go was back to Hogwarts she raised her wand and cast all kind of spells. The M_uffliato _charm, disillusionment charms and Muggle repelling charm. After she was sure that they were all safe she sat on the floor again and picked up the paper again. On page two a large picture of a face she recognised, and then there was a caption which made Ali's heart stop.

_WOOD ON THE RUN_

_After the Ministry of Magic recently published their undesirable list, which contained the names of many Muggle borns and famous names such as Harry Potter, Oliver Wood the famous heart throb, teenage witch crush whom plays for Puddlemere United spoke out against the list in an interview. _

_Wood stated that Harry Potter is a "Good person and there is no reason for him to be on this list." He then proceeded to voice many criticisms of the Ministry. It is believed that Wood was under the Imperius curse at the time of his interview and Ministry workers have been looking for him since his interview, as there are many worries about his current mental health state. _

Ali looked at the picture. It was Oliver Wood, last year at a Puddlemere game signing pictures. He was smiling at a female fan that was looking star struck as she spoke with him. Under the picture was the caption of:

_What Wood we do without him? Wood last year at the end of the Puddlemere match against the Wimbourne Wasps signing pictures._

Ali sighed and laid the paper down beside her. She pulled a blanket around her shoulders and lay down on the floor. It had been a long day.

"_Nox_." She mumbled and the light went out. The house was dark and silent as the three girls slept. 


	3. Chapter 3

He sat up. His head was pounding. He thought he had got away, he had tried to run, tried to hide but it hadn't worked. They had caught up with him, and now he was lying here on the ground aching all over. His nose was broken and his lip was bleeding.

"Oi, get up." The snatcher nudged him in the ribs, which caused more searing pain. He stumbled to his feet and looked up at the dirty faced snatcher.

"What's going on?" He asked as he staggered on the spot.

"We're moving again." Muttered the snatcher. He tried to straighten up but his feet and legs hurt.

"I don't know if I can move." He shouted timidly after the snatcher who was walking away.

"Try." The snatcher said with a cold voice.

Ali opened her eyes. The fire was still alight, but was dimming. The house was dark and her two were still sleeping near her. She stood up and went into the kitchen; there was a banging noise from the back door. When she opened the kitchen door it was the Evening Prophet. Ali picked up the paper while glancing at her watch. Half past six in the evening. She took the paper back into the sitting room and read the headline.

_WATCH OUT FOR POTTER: NEW ANTI-MINISTRY RADIO SHOW NEEDS TO BE STAMPED ON SAYS MINISTER_

_A new radio show, PotterWatch has sprung up over the last couple of days spreading anti-ministry messages which is causing a lot of controversy around the Wizarding world. The show, believed to be started by a new cult group has been broadcasting on different frequencies every day and is leading to mass panic. However, on the second day of broadcasting, the show had a record number of listeners, beating that of the BWBC radio special, hosted by Bracken Cotton, in which the famous band the Weird Sisters did a live performance. A correspondent from our paper listened to the show and reviewed it as "Dull, the same old drivel spewed out over and over again." It is for this reason that the show has been banned by the Ministry and we here at the Prophet do discourage any reader from listening to it._

Ali stood up quickly, surely there had to be a radio in this house somewhere. She walked around the house searching for a radio. She'd looked all over but there was still none. Dejectedly she sat at the kitchen table with her chin on her hand.

"Are you okay?" Ali looked up to see Lucy stood in the doorway.

"Yup. Sleep well?" Ali asked.

"Not bad, who's collecting the Daily Prophet?" Lucy said teasingly walking over to the kitchen sink.

"Oh that was me, there was an owl arriving with up to date ones." Lucy whistled.

"Woah, did you turn this radio on?" Ali spun around in her chair.

"But there's a programme on there now." Lucy muttered turning up the volume.

"And welcome again to PotterWatch! Today we have a bit of news about a very important issue. As always I have some of my correspondents on, but first we have some news. Snatchers, who as some of you may not know are groups of wizards going around the country trying to kidnap Muggle borns, have been sighted just outside of London. Please listeners, look after yourselves, we don't want anyone being kidnapped. Also on today's show, we're having a conversation with Royal about the comments about us that were published in the Daily Prophet. Royal, how are you?" The voice was warming and calmed Ali. It was very familiar, but she didn't know why.

"That sounds like that guy that used to do the Qudditch commentating at school." Lucy said.

"Shush." Ali held up her hand and listened again.

"Thanks River, I'm well how are you?" The deep voice asked again.

"I'm good thank you; I believe that the comments in the Prophet mean that we are going to have to stop broadcasting." River said.

"Yes, so thank you for listening, but this is the end of the show, goodnight." There was a deathly silence radiating from the radio and then there was a peal of laughter.

"Only pulling your legs of course listeners. As Marie Antoinette said, let them eat cake." The show went on a bit longer and the two girls sat in the kitchen listening eagerly to the voices. They got the password for the next show and then settled down in their chairs stomach's rumbling.

"I'm really hungry." Lucy moaned and on cue, Amelia walked in rubbing her eyes.

"What time is it?" She stretched and scratched her head.

"About seven in the evening." Lucy said. Amelia sighed and rubbed her eyes.

"I'm so hungry, have you got any food?" Lucy shook her head and closed her eyes.

"Yes!" Ali almost shouted and she leapt up, ran to the backpack pointed her wand at it.

"Accio treat bag!" Instantly a brightly coloured paper bag flew out of the backpack.

"What's that?" Lucy asked as Ali triumphantly put the bag on the table.

"That my friend contains the answers to all of our problems." Lucy cautiously reached for the bag and then tipped the contents onto the table. Chocolate frogs, Bertie's Bots Beans, and a massive selection of Honeyduke's chocolate rolled onto the dusty table.

"How did you, but what? Why? When?" Amelia looked in awe at the table but Lucy just grabbed a chocolate frog and started to eat. Soon all three girls were sat at the table eating chocolate and joking. This was the reason that they had escaped Hogwarts.

"Yup, three teenage girls. All escaped, I mean ran away from Hogwart's. Snape just wants us to find them." He lay there pretending he was still asleep. Three girls escaped from Hogwart's.

"How old are they?" One of the snatchers asked.

"Seventeen. Fenrir'll be happy, he likes them quite young." He lay there on his stomach attempting not to throw up. Fenrir Grayback was infamous for torturing his victims, especially the young woman. It was probably because he enjoyed their fear. Personally, he was disgusted by Fenrir Greyback. He closed his eyes. If he got away from these people, he would find those girls, and then get as far away from Britain as possible.

Ali felt unclean and very unhappy. After eating most of the sweets in the bag, all three of the girls had run around playing tag and screaming at each other. Childish yes, but they need to grow down for a while. The past two days had made them grow up so quickly, so now they were growing down. After falling asleep at around midnight, Ali had woken up at about half past five and felt very sweaty and dirty and so had got up at eight, when the sun had warmed the long overgrown garden and after Ali had spotted a stream, that started in the garden and then petered off into the woods at the back of the house. She now had a towel, shower gel shampoo and conditioner in her hand and when she reached the stream she took her shoes and socks off. Ali quickly washed and then washed her hair and quickly dressed again. She dried her hair as best she could with the towel and then sat by the stream listening. She forgot how nice it felt to be this clean. As she sat there, she heard a crunching noise from the woods. Ali, was not naturally a curious person, but what if it was someone from Hogwarts? What if it was a teacher? She got up and walked into the woods, wand raised. She heard voice's and followed them through the woods. She was scared. More than scared, terrified. She knew that if she stopped, even for one second she wouldn't move again. She kept following the voices until she got to the edge of the boundary, she could see from here what was happening. There was a clearing. Five men sat around a fire and tied to a tree nearby sat a face that anybody who read the Daily Prophet would recognise. But this face was mangled. Covered in blood and bruises.

"If we find them, Fenrir wants them with him. But, Scabior will take them to Fenrir." Ali watched the man tied to the tree, he was trying to move, trying to get away. One of the men around the fire noticed their prisoner's movement and stood up.

"Where the bloody hell are you going?" He demanded. The man struggled away from the tree and the other four men rose.

"Yeah, we're not finished with you yet." Two of the men picked up their prisoner while the others started laying into him punching and kicking him. Ali looked back at the house. One more step and she could lose her friends. She weighed up the chances, took a deep breath and stepped forward.

They were beating him. Again, this happened whenever they got bored and although he was glad that they didn't try to kill him he couldn't help wondering if they'd kill him this time. He had been a fool to think he would get away. He'd just end up being killed by some Death Eater or die in prison. As he felt his bruised ribs being kicked again, he smelt something that you didn't find with Snatchers. Soap. Normal, plain good smelling soap. And then a voice shouted from behind the men.

"Oi. What the fuck do you think you're doing?" The torture stopped and there was a scream of "Stupefy!" And one of the Snatcher's fell to the ground. There was more sounds of spells echoing around and people falling to the ground and then there was silence.

"Bastards." She heard someone mutter, and then he opened his eyes and saw her. The girl with wet hair, large green eyes and pale skin.

"It's okay they've gone." She was knelt on the ground next to him cradling his head in her lap.

"I'm dead aren't I. They managed to beat me to death." He said with a slurred, breathy speech. The girl sneered and then said in an extremely sarcastic voice:

"Yup, and I'm a Christmas fairy." But he knew that she was wrong. She wasn't a fairy; she was an angel without wings. A savage, brutal angel capable of taking out five fully grown wizards, but an angel nonetheless. He tried to look at her again, but he was blinded by the glowing light radiating off of her body.

"Wait a minute." She stood up and he panicked as he heard her walk away. He heard a few more spells being cast and then she was back.

"It's okay. Calm down." She stroked his hair back, inspecting all of scars and bloody sores that covered his head and shoulders.

"Jesus, they really don't like you do they?" He laughed and then grimaced; the pain the radiated through his ribs was unbearable.

"Shit, are you alright?" The ache was still there even after his ribs had been burning but he felt better.

"Look, I'm staying in a house just up there with a couple of friends; we'll get you some food and something to drink and a nice place to sleep. You'll be good as new by the morning." She smiled.

"Trust me." Her voice was calm and soft. What could he do, in was in a vulnerable position lying here, blood, sweat and pain all over his body.

"Don't really have a choice do I?" He said and she laughed.

"You're right you don't."

Lucy had looked for Ali all over the mansion. After giving up she decided that she needed to get the house spruced up a bit, and then to find food. She had cleaned the entire upstairs. She'd used that book of cleaning spells her Mother had given her on her birthday. Of course, at the time Lucy had thought it was the biggest waste of time she had ever seen, but now she was singing the praises of her Mother from the roof tops. She had cleaned the entire top floor. There were four bedrooms; three of which had been cleaned and a bathroom which was beautifully clean, now with running water. She was stood in the largest room, which was Ali's she had decided. It was large and airy with a large double bed and a large cupboard. She was just about to find Amelia and then start on the downstairs when; passing a window she saw something that scared her badly.

"Lucy! Help!" Ali was dragging something up the garden. Lucy ran downstairs and outside to help and when she realised what Ali was dragging her heart stopped.

"Oh my god Ali." She stood still, staring mouth open at her friend.

"There were Snatchers. Five of them. The charms that I put around here will make sure they don't recognise where they are. We could always wipe their minds." She said and then looked down at the pain racked man at her feet.

"We have other prioities." Lucy reminded her and Ali nodded.

"Help me get him inside." It was a strange sight to see, two girls carrying this broken man up the garden towards the house and it was this sight that met Amelia in the kitchen.


	4. Chapter 4

Lucy had stood at the door for around half an hour watching.

"Luc, you're turning into a stalker." Ali grinned as she walked past the room carrying a pile of sheets. Since getting him into the bed, Ali had decided to help Lucy and Amelia make the mansion a little home from home. It was almost clean now; the kitchen had been scrubbed and was nearing living standards.

"Yeah I know, but look at him." Ali glanced in through the door where he was asleep. Yes, Lucy was right, but they all had more important things to do.

"Lucy, come and help me. You can stare at him later." She pulled Lucy away from the door and the two girls went downstairs to clean the kitchen while Amelia went out to steal some food from the local Muggles. Well, the girls couldn't starve so stealing was the only thing to do at the moment.

"He'll be awake in a minute; you need to go clean him up." Amelia said entering the kitchen with a backpack of stolen food on her back. Lucy stood up quickly.

"I was talking to Ali. He knows her better." Lucy sat down dejectedly.

"I don't mind. You can do it if you want..." Ali said and then was cut short by a glare from Amelia.

"Just go and do it." Ali stood up took a bowl of warm water, put a bit of salt into it and grabbed a flannel and then walked upstairs to the room. She pushed open the door to find him stood by the window staring out of it. His dark brooding eyes lifted as she walked into the room.

"What are you doing?" She asked. He smiled at her teasingly.

"Standing next to the window." She scowled and then grabbed a chair from a desk in the corner of the room.

"Sit." She pointed at the chair however he stood at the window with his arms crossed.

"Don't be a pain in the arse Wood, I dragged you up that garden, and you're how much older than me?" He smirked and the sat in the chair. She pulled a chair up so the two chairs were facing and then she put the bowl on the table and dipped the flannel into it.

"What's that?" He asked.

"Salty water." She went to dab the salty water on a cut next to his eyebrow and he grabbed her hand.

"But it'll hurt won't it." She snorted.

"Grow up Wood." She tried to pull her hand free but he wouldn't let her.

"Wood, let go. You can get through this. You're a big grown up boy." She grinned teasingly and then gently at the cut. He winced slightly, and although she persisted she murmured apologies.

"So, tell me, how did you get to the woods?" She asked as she concentrated on the cut on his left cheek. He stared at her eyes. Deep green, framed with long thick eyelashes. She stopped looking at the cut, and realised that he was staring at her. She coughed and looked down at the bowl.

"Anyway, how did you get into the woods?" She asked again, he watched her concentrate on a cut and then he cleared his throat.

"Well, after that interview I ran, just ended up hiding anywhere, but then I got found by Snatchers, They were taking me back to London, to the Ministry. They do enjoy hurting people." Ali made a sympathetic face.

"I'm so sorry Oliver." She smiled at the famous Quidditch player. Oliver Wood sighed and looked back at Ali.

"I'm sorry too." Ali smiled sadly and then continued to clean Oliver's face. He sat there watching her work as she cleaned his face after a while she stood up, her hair was falling out and the bowl was full of salty, bloody water. She stood up.

"So, I've done your face. Have you got anymore cuts?" She asked. Oliver snorted.

"Just a few." She smiled and walked downstairs and changed the water. Amelia was sat at the table with Lucy reading a book.

"How bad is it?" Lucy asked raising her eyes from the weathered pages.

"Not that bad. He's got cuts all over him." Ali looked up from the sink and smiled at Lucy who was absently flicking the pages of a book.

"Go on then, hurry up and finish. I'm going to make dinner in half an hour." Ali walked back upstairs and as she entered the room she absently flicked her wand at her hair to do it up again. Wood was sat in the chair with his hands on his knees.

"Okay, I've got more water." Ali smiled and put the bowl down on the table and then turned around to find Wood had taken his shirt off, and had his back to her. His back was covered in cuts. Covered. Ali gasped and he chuckled quietly.

"What did they do to you?" She asked with her voice full of disbelief.

"Kicked me a lot, beat me up and whipped me a few times." He winced as she cleaned his wounds. She worked in silence for the next few minutes.

"Are you done yet?" He asked. Ali snorted.

"Patience is a virtue." She mumbled. When she was finished she put the bowl on the chair and handed him his shirt.

"I'll bring you some dinner soon." She left the room without looking at him. She quickly left, embarrassed but with no reason to be. She stood with her back to the door, wiped her eyes and went downstairs.

She sat at the kitchen table watching the radio as she changed the dials looking for PotterWatch. Amelia was upstairs in the bath, Lucy was getting food and Oliver was asleep. Or so she thought he was. As she finally tuned the radio Wood walked into the kitchen and sat down opposite her.

"I thought you were going to bring me dinner." He said smiling teasingly.

"Shit, sorry." She looked back down at the radio and continued to flick the switches forwards and backwards. He watched her for a moment, and she tried to concentrate on the radio. It was difficult however, as she could feel his eyes burning into her head.

"Do you need anything?" She asked slightly impatiently.

"Nope." He said smirking cockily. She sighed and looked back at the radio. He watched her for a few more moments as she twisted the dials forwards and backwards and the sound burst out of the radio.

"What's that?" He asked.

"PotterWatch." Ali said turning up the radio.

"Good afternoon listeners, we here at PotterWatch have some exciting news for you today. As most of you will already know, everyone's favourite Puddlemere United player, Oliver Wood went missing a while ago after he stood up for Harry Potter in an interview, most of you will be shocked to know that Wood was kidnapped by snatchers, and up until around two days ago, Wood was at risk of being taken to London and killed, but thanks to a brave and talented Hogwarts runaway, he was saved. Romulas, you have more on this story." Lee Jordan's voice was as bright and cheerful as usually, and his warm tones warmed the kitchen.

"Yes, thank you River." A new voice came from the radio now, and Oliver turned to look at Ali.

"That's Professor Lupin isn't it?" He asked. Ali nodded and turned her attention back to the radio.

"Sources have confirmed that the three Hogwarts runaways, Alison Robinson, Amelia Williams and Lucy Green have rescued Oliver Wood. For the girls own protection, we cannot say whereabouts this happened, but what we do know is that Alison Green went out of her way to save Wood, and battled five snatchers to protect him. Obviously, all of us here at PotterWatch are extremely proud of her achievements and we all wish all of the girls and Wood well. If you are listening, we are all immensely proud of you and would urge you to all keep safe. Thank you, although it is common knowledge that you girls are all Ravenclaws, it seems that you have the bravery of a Gryffindor, and for that reason, the password for tomorrows broadcast will be Robinson." Lupin's voice disappeared and was replaced by Lee Jordan's.

"Thank you Romulas, yes we are all very proud of you and if you girls are listening, I would be delighted if one of you could contact me as there is a girlfriend vacancy." There was laughter from the radio and then Lee Jordan's voice came through again. "Anyway thank you for listening folks, goodnight." The radio suddenly died and the atmosphere of the room suddenly felt colder. Ali shivered and looked over at Oliver Wood. He smirked.

"Well, congratulations on the password." He grinned at looked a loaf of bread in the corner. Ali followed his eyes and looked towards the loaf.

"Oh sorry, you must be starving." Ali got up and went towards the chopping board and bread. Oliver sat at the table and watched her.

"Why did you leave?" He asked. Ali paused and looked up from chopping.

"I guess, because I have a very low bullshit threshold." She said and started chopping again. Oliver smirked and watched her again. Her hair was messily tied up in a bun and her skin had become tarnished with dirt, from around the house probably. She still looked like she would be out of place at Hogwarts. She looked too old.

"How old are you?" He asked. Ali turned around with a plate of bread and butter.

"Seventeen. You?" She asked. He gratefully accepted the food and looked up at her.

"Twenty-two." He said before he took some food. Her eyebrows lifted slightly and she looked at him, her brow furrowed.

"That's all?" She asked. He grinned.

"You expected me to be older?" He asked cockily. Ali bit her lip and blushed slightly.

"Well, I guess you look older than you really are." She said looking awkwardly away from him. He looked down at his hands, she was right. They were hands of an old man, not a twenty-two year old. He sighed and looked up again.

"Is everyone sleeping in their own rooms?" He asked. Ali shrugged.

"They might be, I'm staying down here." She said sitting on the chair opposite him. "I'm still not sure that this place is safe." She said fiddling with a notch in the table. He nodded and looked back up at her.

"You're right. I'll stay down here as well." He said. Ali looked up from the table and saw Oliver looking at her.

"I'll be alright by myself." She said softly.

"No, I'm staying down here. I finished my education remember, I have more licence." He said.

"Licence to do what, kill death eaters?" She asked moodily. He looked up and was just about to answer when Lucy walked in.

"Ali, when are you going to sort out the plumbing?" She said, charging in with a bucket full of soapy water. "Oh, sorry," she said noticing the sour mood of the room. "I'm not interrupting anything am I?" She asked. Ali looked up from the table.

"No, don't worry. We're done. I was going to sort it out tomorrow; I found some tools earlier, so it should be done quickly." Ali said getting up from the table, Oliver looked watched the girls leave the room just as Amelia walked through the back door.

"Oh, hi. You alright?" She asked. He smiled.

"Could be worse, you?" He asked standing up and putting his plate on the counter.

"Not bad, not bad." She looked back from the things she was holding to him.

"What was it like?" She asked.

"What was what like?" Oliver asked. Amelia awkwardly looking at her hands.

"With the snatchers, what was it like?" She looked up from her hands. "You don't have to answer it if you don't want to." She said.

"No its okay." He said. "It was like hell. Like a living hell."


End file.
